Aim of the conference

The conference aims to bring together scholars from different disciplines as well as people from civil society, media and government. We hope to get a better insight into current developments in Indonesia since the re-negotiation of the relation between Islam, pluralism and democracy. This is also an important point of reference for ongoing discussion in other Muslim societies.

Often taken as a role-model for a successful synthesis of Islam and pluralism in the past, Indonesia’s image of a tolerant country has been tarnished in recent years. Religious minorities like Ahmadis and Shiites, human rights activists and people of non-binary gender identity became Targets of fundamentalist groups.

The state often failed to ensure the rights and safety of the threatened. Rather, politics and the state became also influenced by a new conservativism, most often by applying religion as political capital. Inthe course of the trial against the former Christian governor of Jakarta and huge demonstrations carried out by Islamist groups, the national motto of "Unity in Diversity" (Bhinekka Tunggal Ika) has again become a subject of debates.

The conference "Islam in Post-Reformasi Indonesia: The End of Tolerance? Re-negotiating the Relations between State and Society" aims to bring together scholars from different disciplines as well as people from civil society, media and government. We hope to get a better insight into current developments in Indonesia since the re-negotiation of the relation between Islam, pluralism and democracy. This is also an important point of reference for ongoing discussion in other Muslim societies.

The following questions will be discussed:

• Is unity still possible in the course of the growing influence of hard-line-organizations demanding the superiority of Sunni Islam in Indonesia?
• What does "diversity” mean in a country where the practicing of indigenous and other minority beliefs are more and more restricted?
• Moreover, can the tolerance expressed in the motto of Bhinekka Tunggal Ika be maintained and used as a blueprint for other Muslim societies?
• Which role do state and religious institutions such as the Nahdlatul Ulama and Muhammadiya take within the context of conflicting ideas of religion and pluralism?
• Is the world’s third largest democracy culturally and institutionally prepared for the challenges of radical Islam?